Turtles will get new protections under newly proposed state trapping regulations.

This is the Iowa Environmental Focus.

Earlier this year, the Iowa legislature successfully passed a bill that required the Iowa DNR to set daily catch limits and seasons, citing that foreign demand for turtle meat and unlimited harvest has threatened local populations. The proposal follows a failed attempt to completely ban for-profit turtle trapping in the state in 2009.

Biologists note that turtles, unlike other animals, do not reproduce until much later in life, making adult turtles that are removed from the population especially difficult to replace. In 2014, trappers caught 17,504 turtles according to the Iowa DNR. The DNR’s proposed restrictions limit the number of turtles caught per day to 14 snapping turtles, one softshell turtle, and three painted turtles. A trapping season that begins July 1st and ends December 31st included in the document would protect turtles during their nesting season. The proposal also bans trapping within 100 yards of waterways between July 1st and July 15th in order to protect nesting softshell turtles.

The proposal must be approved by the governor before it is reviewed by the legislative rules committee.

For more information about the new turtle trapping regulations in Iowa, visit Iowa-Environmental-Focus-dot-org.

From the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, I’m Betsy Stone.